Frozen Desires (Asylums for Magical Threats 2)

“And I’ll never let you forget it.”

He chuckled and tugged her forward. “Come on, there’s no point in delaying the inevitable.”

Marco spoke with the hostess, and she motioned for them to follow her. They wove through the restaurant, turned a corner, and were met with a table full of people, more than half of which look remarkably like the man at her side. “I thought you said that it was just your parents.”

She looked up and saw Marco’s stunned expression. “Marco, are you okay?”

“They brought my siblings, too.”

Before Cam could reply, a woman she reckoned was Marco’s mother rose from the table, rushed over, and kissed Marco on the cheek. As the woman started to chatter in Spanish, everyone else stood up and came over, surrounding them. Some of the Alvarez clan started hugging and kissing her, too. While she didn’t understand much apart from her name, she nearly teared up at their acceptance—of both her and Marco.

When Marco finally got everyone quiet, he put a hand on her waist and pulled her close. “This is my girlfriend, Camilla Melini. She’s still trying to learn Spanish, so if everyone could use English, that’d be great.”

A young man in his late teens spoke up. “But English is for school.”

Marco winked. “Then think of this as a bonus lesson.”

One of the young women laughed. “We’ve missed you, brother.”

Marco’s voice cracked. “And I’ve missed you all, too.”

He made the introductions, and then his mother took Cam’s hand and pulled. “Come sit with me, Camilla. I want to know what my no-good son has been up to, and why he thought staying away from us was a good idea.”

While Mrs. Alvarez’s words were harsh, her tone was light. Cam smiled. “Call me Cam. And I’ll tell you whatever you want as long as you tell me about Marco as a boy. I’m sure there’s something I can use as blackmail later on.”

Marco’s mother smiled, and Cam knew where her man had gotten his heart-melting expressions. “Deal. Now, come on.”

Cam followed, but she looked over her shoulder to see Marco surrounded by his siblings and other family members and knew that no threat was big enough to keep him away any longer.

No doubt his siblings would be shocked to learn of the world of the Feiru—they’d been raised human—but if they were anything like Marco, they’d handle it well. Certainly, one or all three of his siblings would want to help find their cousin’s killer.

However, she wouldn’t think about that right now. Marco deserved a few hours with his family, to enjoy himself.

Marco met her gaze with a brilliant smile. He mouthed the words, “Thank you, cariño. I love you.”

Cam didn’t care who was watching, and she blew him a kiss. Then she turned toward his mother and started interrogating her, hungry to know more about the man she’d once threatened to eviscerate, but now loved with all her heart.